Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield agree to 1-year deal, sources say

Former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached agreement on a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.

Mayfield, 27, joins the Buccaneers in line to replace Tom Brady, who retired last month after three seasons and one Super Bowl title in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers also have 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask on their roster.

Mayfield played the final five games of the 2022 season for the Los Angeles Rams, who claimed him off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 6. In those five games, Mayfield completed 63.6% of his passes for 850 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in 2018, was playing on the final season of his rookie contract after the Cleveland Browns picked up his fifth-year option in April 2021. The Browns, who had acquired Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans last offseason, traded Mayfield to the Panthers in July. He played in seven games in Carolina before he was waived.

At the time he was waived, Mayfield ranked last in the NFL in Total QBR among qualified quarterbacks with a rating of 18.2.

After the Rams' final game of the 2022 season, Mayfield said he had no doubt that he was «good enough to be a starting quarterback.»

Mayfield has played for three teams in his first five seasons, becoming just the second player taken first overall in the common draft era (since 1967) to do so, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

In his career, Mayfield has completed 61.4% of his passes for 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.